Monday, April 9, 2012

H is for...

Hippogriff. A lengendary creature, a Hippogriff is supposedly the offspring between a griffin and a mare and has been featured in many mythological tales, books, and works of fiction, both old and new. According to 19th century American author Thomas Bulfinch, 'it has the head of an eagle, claws armed with talons, and wings covered with feathers, the rest of its body being that of a horse.'

The most notable appearance of this mythological creature in pop culture is, of course, in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Buckbeak appeared in the third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, as a teaching tool in Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures Class.

From Newt Scamander's Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them:

Hippogriff. M.O.M. Classification: XXX -- The Hippogriff is native to Europe, though now found worldwide. It has the head of a giant eagle and the body of a horse. It can be tamed, though this should be attempted only by experts. (Side note by Ronald Weasley: Has Hagrid read this book?) Eye contact should be maintained when approaching a Hippogriff. Bowing shows good intentions. If the Hippogriff returns the greeting, it is safe to draw closer.

The Hippogriff burrows for insects but will also eat birds and small mammals. Breeding Hippogriffs build nests upon the ground into which they will lay a single large and fragile egg, which hatches within twenty-four hours. The fledgling Hippogriff should be ready to fly within a week, though it will be a matter of months before it is able to accompany its parent on longer journeys.

If you could transform into any mythological creature, what would you be?

Hippogryffs are not European in origin. They were a prodyuct of the imagination of the Scythians, a nomadic warrior group who lived above and to the east of the Black Sea 2700 years ago. Scholars think that they came across the remains of dinosaurs (plentiful in that region) and came up with stories to explain the huge bones, some of them from birdlike creatures. They imagined they had been buried to protect the riches buried in the tombs of steppe kings. From there the legend spread to what is today called Anatolia, or Turkey, where they appeared in the local mythological stories, most notably Greek mythology. It is shameful of Rowling to take so many mythological animals and things and not present them in context. Worse yet, she took what is essentially a warm weather animal-- that must have been very expensive-- and chained him to a wood pile!

Hippogryffs are not European in origin. They were a prodyuct of the imagination of the Scythians, a nomadic warrior group who lived above and to the east of the Black Sea 2700 years ago. Scholars think that they came across the remains of dinosaurs (plentiful in that region) and came up with stories to explain the huge bones, some of them from birdlike creatures. They imagined they had been buried to protect the riches buried in the tombs of steppe kings. From there the legend spread to what is today called Anatolia, or Turkey, where they appeared in the local mythological stories, most notably Greek mythology. It is shameful of Rowling to take so many mythological animals and things and not present them in context. Worse yet, she took what is essentially a warm weather animal-- that must have been very expensive-- and chained him to a wood pile!

Hippogryffs are not European in origin. They were a prodyuct of the imagination of the Scythians, a nomadic warrior group who lived above and to the east of the Black Sea 2700 years ago. Scholars think that they came across the remains of dinosaurs (plentiful in that region) and came up with stories to explain the huge bones, some of them from birdlike creatures. They imagined they had been buried to protect the riches buried in the tombs of steppe kings. From there the legend spread to what is today called Anatolia, or Turkey, where they appeared in the local mythological stories, most notably Greek mythology. It is shameful of Rowling to take so many mythological animals and things and not present them in context. Worse yet, she took what is essentially a warm weather animal-- that must have been very expensive-- and chained him to a wood pile!